Globalization is topic of upcoming event for Purdue students

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University students can find out about the opportunities of working and living in an international market through an upcoming fair that will bring a dozen companies and organizations to the campus.

The Global Opportunities Fair is being held to help provide information about the worldwide economy and to promote cultural awareness. The Purdue student chapter of the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education, or GEARE, is coordinating the event. The fair will be held Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the atrium of the Materials Engineering Building.

"As future engineers and professionals, we need to be ready for global and cultural exchanges with all kinds of people, and we realize that we need to be able to define and solve problems from an international perspective," said Francisco Montalvo, a mechanical engineering junior from Quito, Ecuador, and the student chapter vice president for the alliance. "The fair is not just for engineering majors but for all students. It will give students the opportunity to personally talk with representatives from international companies."

Montalvo said about 200 students are expected to attend the event.

Companies participating in the fair include Kimberly Clark Corp. Latin American Operations, General Motors Co. and Siemens Corp.

International organizations and institutions expected to attend include Tecnologico de Monterrey, a highly ranked university in Monterrey, Mexico; Global Education Corp.; AustraLearn Study Abroad in Australia and New Zealand; and the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience.

Purdue organizations participating in the event include the Office of Programs for Study Abroad, Purdue chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Global Engineering Programs, Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education, and the AIESEC study abroad program. AIESEC is a global student organization. The acronym formerly represented a French organization "Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales." The full title has been dropped to reflect the organization's international representation.

"This is the first time we have held this event, and we are pleased with the response and participation," said E. Daniel Hirleman, professor and the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head for the School of Mechanical Engineering and the interim director of Purdue's Global Engineering Programs. "The fair will provide our students with a single place where they can get information and learn about the different options they have for globalizing their Purdue engineering experience."

In addition to the exhibits from the participating companies and organizations, seminars will be held during the week of Oct. 23. The seminars will provide internship and employment opportunities and other details about study- and work-abroad programs. More information can be found online.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Sources: E. Daniel Hirleman, (765) 494-5688, hirleman@purdue.edu

Francisco Montalvo, fmontalv@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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